The event, hosted by the Provincial Government of Albay in partnership with the Department of Tourism, Philippines, brought together delegates from both the public and private sectors to share their insights and experiences on various aspects of the travel and tourism including ecotourism, adventure travel, marketing, climate change mitigation, crisis management and risk reduction, and digital marketing.

Addressing a media briefing at the Oriental Legazpi on Wednesday, November 25, PATA CEO Mr Mario Hardy stated that, “It is important for our industry to be committed in combating climate change, and share meaningful dialogue on making productive changes for the sake of future generations.”

He also added that, “The choice of Albay province as the venue for this event also reflects the Association’s primary advocacy issue of dispersing tourists to lesser-known yet attractive corners of the world. Albay is one such destination and was recognised as such, having recently been awarded the PATA CEO Challenge 2015 Top Destination in the category of Regions/States/Provinces.”

The highlight of the event was the Technical Tour and Tourism Marketing Treasure Hunt held on November 26, 2015. Delegates, separated into teams, were asked to take photos and videos during the tour and share them on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #NTFFTreasureHunt. The photos were then judged in 5 different categories: Best Travel Shot, Best Food Shot, Best Action Video, Best Selfie, and Best Chili Shot (using a special #NTFF2015 Chili). The user-generated content, which was used in the conference session on interactive marketing the following day, generated over 700 photos on Instagram and over 2,000 social media mentions in total.

During the conference on Friday, November 27, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) was honoured to have bothHis Excellency Ramon Jimenez, Jr., Secretary, Philippine Department of Tourism providing the opening address at the conference on the “Successful Destination Marketing Campaign – Trend in this digital economy”, and Mr Joey Sarte Salceda, Governor, Provincial Government of Albay, Philippines, providing the closing address on “Ecotourism – Transcending Climate Change”.

At the conference, topics covered included Climate Change Mitigation and the Role of Tourism, Marine Tourism & the Implications for Water Reliant Operations, Global Adventure Travel Trends, ASEAN for Adventure: Where the Boundaries are Endless, Crisis Management & Risk Reduction for New Destinations, The Power of Ecotourism: Best Practices & Models for Implementation, and Interactive Marketing – A Treasure Hunt.

The PATA New Tourism Frontiers Forum 2016, generously hosted by the Bangladesh Tourism Board, will be held in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh from November 23-25. More information about the event is available at www.PATA.org/NTFF-2016.

-ENDS-

About PATA
Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for profit association that is internationally acclaimed for acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organisations, comprising 88 government, state and city tourism bodies, 22 international airlines, airports and cruise lines, 62 educational institutions, and hundreds of travel industry companies in Asia Pacific and beyond. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 41 local PATA chapters worldwide. The chapters organise travel industry training and business development events. Their grassroots activism underpins PATA’s membership of the Global Travel Association Coalition (GTAC), which includes ACI, CLIA, IATA, ICAO, WEF, UNWTO and the WTTC. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members’ desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA’s Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has official offices or representation in Beijing, Sydney, and London. Visit www.PATA.org.